ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Ministry approves hiring of Chris Walker to pursue better returns in Asian Games squash
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has approved the engagement of two-time World Squash Championships medalist Chris Walker as Foreign Coach for the Indian team for the Asian Games later this year. Walker, who represented England in Squash and Cycling, will be engaged for 16 weeks
A former England captain, Walker’s appointment was recommended by the Sports Authority of India’ Selection Committee and officials of the Squash Racquet Federation of India. With Mark Cairns, he won the inaugural World Doubles Squash Championships in 1997. Having moved base to the United States, he rose to be the National Coach of the American team.
“I couldn’t be more excited about working with Team India in such an important year with the run up to the World Doubles, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games,” he said. “I will be working closely with the Federation, and I want to help all the Indian Squash team players prepare absolutely the best they can to play their best squash at these upcoming events. I am really looking forward to the year ahead.”
He won bronze medals in the 1993 and 1996 World Open Squash Championships and was part of the England teams that claimed silver medals in the World Team Championships in 1995 and 1997. He has Commonwealth Games doubles bronze medals in 1998 and 2002. He also represented England in Cycling in the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.
The Indian men’s team comprising Saurav Ghoshal, Ramit Tandon and Mahesh Mangaokar recently finished runner-up in the Asian Team Championships in Kuala Lumpur. The women’s squad, with Joshna Chinappa, Sunayna Kuruvilla and Urwashi Joshi made it to the semifinals. India is looking to secure better returns in the two major events this year.
The Commonwealth Games is due to be held in Birmingham from July 28 to August 8 and the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, from September 10 to 25.
India won two silver medals in the Commonwealth Games 2018 through doubles pairs, Dipika Pallikal Karthik partnering Joshna Chinappa in women’s doubles and Saurav Ghoshal in mixed doubles. India finished the Asian Games 2018 with five medals, including a silver  and four bronze medals in three events.
PSA world rankings of Indian players:
Men: Saurav Ghoshal , Ramit Tandon , Mahesh Mangaonkar , Vikram Malhotra  and Velavan Senthilkumar .
Women: Joshna Chinappa , Tanvi Khanna , Sunayna Kuruvilla , Akanksha Salunkhe , Urwashi Joshi .
Ministry of Science & Technology
DST initiates COVID-19 India National Supermodel for monitoring infection transmission & aid decision-making by policymakers
The Department of Science and Technology  has initiated a COVID -19 Indian National Supermodel to help monitor the future transmission of infection, thus aiding decisions involving health system readiness and other mitigation measures.
While the Government is keeping a close watch on infectivity and mortality, it is imperative to bring in a robust forecasting model for predicting the spread and enhancing disease surveillance. Numerous mathematical models for Covid-19 forecasting and surveillance are being worked out by investigators funded by DST-SERB  and other agencies.
Inspired by India’s history of using mathematical models for disaster management planning of metrological events, DST has initiated this exercise to pool in expertise in the field and create one model for the entire country that will be subjected to rigorous tests required for evidence-based forecasting, routinely practiced in weather forecasting communities.
The model will entirely rely only on the data that is relevant to COVID-19, and also have an adaptive built-in component to learn from the newer trends in the data. It will aggregate successful evidence-based mathematical and statistical forecasting models and include the best predictive analytics for robust forecasting of infectious disease spread. The supermodel could be used by the policymakers in India and around the world to overcome difficulties in predicting the rate of spread of infection and how it would burden the healthcare sector, thereby curbing the epidemic.
As part of this initiative, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research  and IISc, Bangalore will co-ordinate to connect and work with all COVID-19 modeling projects and programs in the country. This will help develop a set of benchmarks to assess various models and to finally deliver the COVID-19 India National Supermodel. The Coordination team will consult and work with the research groups active in modeling, various software developers, and reputed companies to ensure delivery of a suitable user interface and software.
A consultative committee will work closely with DST and SERB and coordinators  and modellers of this initiative to provide critical inputs on technical aggregation, guidance, and final delivery of a robust Supermodel.
“Mathematical modeling and simulations for the spread of COVID-19 virus and its impact are not mere academic exercises but are critical needs for rational decision making, planning, and resource management. It is thus of vital importance that a robust National Model which is vetted by a large cross-section of scientific community working in the area is developed,” said Prof Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DST.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
MoS I & B Dr. L. Murugan expresses confidence about IFFI-53 becoming a memorable experience for all its attendees
"This year, we witnessed a record number of entries in Indian and International
sections, exemplifying the growing global popularity of the festival"
#IFFIWood, 19 November 2022
The Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan has extended a warm welcome to the guests and delegates of the 53rd edition of IFFI, the International Film Festival of India , which is set to open in Goa tomorrow, November 20, 2022.
The Minister says he is delighted to note that IFFI continues to flourish in quality and quantity of content received every year. "This year, we witnessed a record number of entries in Indian and International sections, exemplifying the growing global popularity of the festival.”
The Minister informs current and aspiring film lovers that IFFI has curated a compelling package of films across genres, themes, and social commentaries. "The Festival will also present an educational package of masterclasses and workshops".
He has expressed confidence that IFFI-53 will become a memorable experience for all its attendees.PIB IFFI Cast and Crew | Dheep / Sriyanka / Darshana | IFFI 53 - 32
Follow us on social media:@PIBMumbai /PIBMumbai /pibmumbai pibmumbai[at]gmail[dot]com /PIBMumbai /pibmumbai
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Ministry of Defence
MODERNISATION FUND FOR THE ARMED FORCES
Details of allocation made to the Armed Forces under Capital Acquisition  Head of Defence Services Estimates for the Financial Year 2021-22 and 2022-23 are as under:

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Year
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BE Allocation
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2021-22
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1,11,463.21
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2022-23
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1,24,408.64Figures are yet to be approved by the Parliament
The allocated funds cater to the Committed Liabilities and New Schemes of the Armed Forces under Capital Acquisition  head. These funds are optimally utilized towards operational activities and if required, the schemes are reprioritized to ensure that urgent and critical capabilities are acquired without any compromise to operational preparedness of Defence Services.
Allocation made under Modernisation Head to the Armed Forces form a part of the Capital Budget of the Defence Services. The following proposals are being planned under the Strategic Partnership Model:
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Sl No
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Scheme
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1.
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Naval Utility Helicopter 
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2.
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Project 75 Submarines
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Shrimati Rita Bahuguna Joshi in Lok Sabha on February 11, 2022.
ABB/Nampi/Savvy
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Prime Minister's Office
PM Modi and President of Maldives jointly inaugurate development projects in Maldives via video conference
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih today jointly inaugurated several key development projects in Maldives via video conference.
These included gifting of Made in India Coast Guard Ship Kaamiyaab to Maldives, launch of RuPay card, lighting up of Male using LED lights, High Impact Community Development Projects, launch of fish processing plants.
Congratulating President Solih on completing the first year of his Presidency, Prime Minister said it was a significant year for the India – Maldives relationship.
Prime Minister said, India’s Neighbourhood First Policy and Maldives’ India first Policy has strengthened the bilateral cooperation in all sectors.
Speaking about the Fast Interceptor Craft Coast Guard Ship Kaamiyaab, Prime Minister said, it would help in enhancing Maldives’ maritime security, and promote blue economy and tourism.
Prime Minister also expressed happiness at partnering through High Impact Community Development Projects for supporting livelihood of the islands community.
Prime Minister noted that People-to-People contact is one of the keys aspects of close relations between both the countries. In this context, he said India’s tourist figures in Maldives has more than doubled, 3 direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru have also started this week. He said launch of RuPay payment mechanism would further ease travel of Indians to Maldives.
Prime Minister said Government is working on building a cancer hospital and cricket stadium in Hulhulmale while work on the water and sanitation project in 34 islands will begin soon.
Prime Minister reiterated his commitment to continue partnering with Maldives for strengthening of democracy and development. Prime Minister said both the countries would enhance cooperation for peace and security in Indian Ocean Region.
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment issues alert for fake government website
A fake website, https://www.guvn.co.in for recruitment of Data Entry Executive, Multi-Tasking Staff, etc claims to be affiliated with e-grant of theMinistry of Social Justice and Empowerment ,has come to the notice of Department Social Justice and Empowerment , MoSJE
DoSJE, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, hereby clariﬁes that the aforesaid website is fake and fraudulent which is not related to this Department.
DoSJE, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowermentis taking further action against the fake website in coordination with cyber-crime and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team  for blocking the fake website and taking appropriate step against the website’s owner.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Balakrishna assumes charge as CBFC Regional Officer
Shri. V. Balakrishna assumed charge as Regional Officer, Central Board of Film Certification , Hyderabad today. Balkrishna, an Indian Information Service officer earlier worked in various organizations in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting as Field Publicity Officer, Editor in Telugu monthly magazine, Yojana. News editor in All India Radio, Deputy Director in Press Information Bureau and He worked as Information Officer to the two vice-presidents, prior to his appointment as Regional Officer, CBFC. Speaking on this occasion, he said, without any delay Censor Certificate will be given.
Ministry of Minority Affairs
Rules of Journey for Haj Pilgrims
The guidelines for Haj 2022 have been issued by the Haj Committee of India so as to apprise the public about the requirements for Haj pilgrimage and also guide the applicants to submit their request. New provisional guidelines have been issued this year under special circumstances with special norms, rules & regulations, eligibility criteria, age restrictions and other relevant conditions as Kingdom of Saudi Arabia may determine and deem appropriate amid COVID-19 pandemic. The special provisions and precautions for Haj 2022 have been made keeping in mind the safety and well being of Haj pilgrims.
The Haj quota has increased from 1,36,000 pilgrims in Haj 2014 to the highest quota ever of 2,00,000 pilgrims in Haj 2019. For Haj 2020 and Haj 2021, international pilgrims were not allowed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia due to Covid 19 Pandemic.
This information was given by the Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Special Service and Features
International Yoga Day celebrated at 75 Iconic Places across the country including three from Odisha
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Mahendra Nath Pandey, Bishweswar Tudu led the celebrations at Konark, Puri and Khiching respectively
The 8th International Day of Yoga has been celebrated in grandeur at 75 Iconic Places across the country including three from Odisha on Tuesday. Three central ministers led the grand celebrations in the state with mass demonstration of yoga following the common yoga protocol.
Union Minister for Railways, Communication, Electronics & IT, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw led the event at Sun Temple in Konark while Minister for Heavy Industry Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey led the celebration at the Blue Flag Beach in Puri. Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Tribal Affairs Shri Bishweswar Tudu attended the Yoga day event at Kichakeswari Temple in Khiching, Mayurbhanj.
During the event, PM’s address to the nation was live-streamed, from Mysuru Palace, Karnataka to a large number of participants at all the three iconic places. To commemorate the International Day of Yoga 2022, country-wide celebrations were organised at 75 iconic places under the theme of ‘Yoga for Humanity’. The event was aimed at creating awareness about various dimensions of Yoga.
Ahead of the mass demonstration of yoga at Konark, Railway Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw addressed the gathering. In his address the minister defined yoga as a way of life and said that yoga is celebrated across the world from Tokyo to America due to the efforts of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and it has already become a part of the life of Indians.
In his address at Puri, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey said that yoga is the embodiment of unity of mind and body, thought and action, restraint and achievement, and harmony between man and nature. He said it is a holistic approach to health and wellness adding that yoga is not a mere exercise but a means of establishing identification with oneself and with the world and nature.
MLA Puri Shri Jayanta Kumar Sarangi, renowned sand artist Shri Sudarsan Pattnaik, olympian Anuradha Biswal among other dignitaries practiced yoga at Puri.
At Kichakeswari Temple in Khiching, Mayurbhanj, Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Tribal Affairs, Shri Bishweswar Tudu joined a large number of gathering and performed different postures of yoga with them. The minister defined the benefits of yoga for health and mentioned about Prime Minister's contribution in popularizing yoga.
Celebration of yoga with mass demonstration of the age old practice was organized at the 75 locations across the country including three from Odisha today as part of the ongoing Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate the 75th year of Independence of the country. Several yoga activities were performed at all these iconic places today.
The International Day of Yoga is celebrated annually on 21st June since 2015, following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014.
SM/SSP/GCD
Ministry of Labour & Employment
ESIC Offices & Hospitals undertake massive cleanliness drive under 'Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta Ek Saath' drive held on 01.10.2023 under nation-wide 'Swachhata Hi Sewa campaign' for cleanliness
A massive nation-wide cleanliness activities under “Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta Ek Saath” drive was undertaken on 01.10.2023 by all the offices and hospitals of ESIC under 'Swachhata Hi Sewa campaign'.
Dr. Rajendra Kumar, Director General, ESIC kick started the campaign by participating in a cleanliness drive of a public park at Rohini, Delhi. Officers, doctors and staff from Hqrs & ESIC Hospital, Rohini and general public also joined the Director General in this cleanliness drive. The field offices and hospitals conducted cleanliness drive in high footfall places like hospitals/labour colonies, slums, bus stands, river fronts, ghats, drains, nallahs, etc.
The campaign “Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta Ek Saath” organised by ESIC also witnessed mass participation along with participation of several dignitaries across the country, viz. Shri Dhananjay Mahadik, MP in Maharashtra, Shri Kirit Premjibhai Solanki, MP in Ahmedabad, Smt. Prassanna Earnest, Mayor, Kollam Municipal Corporation, Kerala among others.
With a focus on making cleanliness an integral part of life and to encourage people's participation, a fortnight long 'Swachhata Hi Sewa Campaign' was observed in all the 116 Regional Offices/Sub-Regional Offices/Medical Colleges/Hospitals of ESIC from 15th September, 2023 to 1st October, 2023.
Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister visits Hari Mandir and attends Community Reception at Orakandi
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on the second day of his two-day visit to Bangladesh sought blessings at the Hari Mandir in Orakandi and interacted with the descendants of revered Thakur family.
Prime Minister also addressed the representatives of the Matua community at Orakandi, from where Sri Sri Hari chand Thakur ji disseminated his pious message of social reforms. Prime Minister underlined that both India and Bangladesh want to see the progress of the whole world, through their development and their progress. Both countries want stability, love and peace in place of instability, terror and unrest in the world. The same values were given to us by Sri Sri Hari Chand Thakur Ji.
Prime Minister underlined that today, India is moving forward with the mantra of 'SabkaSaath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas', and Bangladesh is 'ShohoJatri' in it. At the same time, Bangladesh is presenting a strong example of development and change in front of the world and India is Bangladesh’s 'ShohoJatri' in these efforts.
Prime Minister made several announcements including upgrading the existing middle school for girls at Orakandi and to set up a primary school as well. Prime Minister also mentioned that every year a large number of people travel from India to Orakandi to participate in ‘BaruniSnan’ on occasion of the birth anniversary of Shri Shri Hari Chand Thakur and more efforts would be made to ease their travel.
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Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
ACC appointment
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri Inder Jit Singh, lAS , Secretary , Cabinet Secretariat as Secretary, Ministry of Coal.
Ministry of Education
Reforms in education system
University Grants Commission has notified regulations for offering full-fledged online and open distance learning programme by the Higher Educational Institutions . These regulations, inter-alia, include eligibility conditions, recognition process for offering online programmes, maintenance of infrastructural, academic and other quality standards by HEIs. It prohibits franchise arrangement with private sector and the ownership of offering online programmes shall be that of HEIs only. The details may be accessed at https://www.ugc.ac.in/pdfnews/221580.pdf.
Further, based on the recommendations of the Expert Committee, UGC has proposed modifications in ODL and Online Programme Regulations. It was uploaded on UGC website at https://deb.ugc.ac.in/ for seeking comments/suggestions from stakeholders, last date for which was 15th March, 2022.
Government of India in its Budget 2022-23 has announced establishment of Digital University, to provide access to studentsacross the country, for world-class quality universal education with personalized learning experience at their doorsteps in different Indian languages and ICT formats.
The information was given by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Subhas Sarkar in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Defence
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh invokes special provisions & grants Emergency Financial Powers to Armed Forces to fight COVID-19 surge
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh invoked special provisions and granted Emergency Financial Powers to the Armed Forces to empower them and speed up their efforts in tide over the current COVID-19 situation in the country, on April 30, 2021. These powers will help Formation Commanders to establish and operate quarantine facilities/hospitals and undertake procurement/repair of equipment/items/material/stores, besides provisioning of various services and works required to support the ongoing effort against the pandemic.
Under these powers, Vice Chiefs of Armed Forces including Chief Of Integrated Defence Staff To The Chairman Chiefs Of Staff Committee  and General Officer Commanding-in-Chiefs  and equivalents of all three services have been given full powers, whereas Corps Commanders/Area Commanders have been delegated powers up to Rs 50 lakh per case and Division Commanders/Sub Area Commanders and equivalents have been delegated powers up to Rs 20 lakh per case. These powers have been devolved initially for a period of three months from 1st May to 31st July 2021. These are in addition to the emergency powers delegated to the Medical Officers of the Armed Forces last week.
The emergency powers were sanctioned to the Armed Forces last year too when the COVID-19 pandemic first broke out. This had helped the Armed Forces tackle the situation faster and in an effective manner.
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Ministry of Science & Technology
CSIR-NIScPR celebrates World Environment Day
The CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy research  observed the World Environment Day celebrations on 6th June.
Prof..Ranjana Aggarwal, Director, CSIR-NIScPR welcomed the gathering. In her address,Prof.Ranjana highlighted the complexity of the web of life. Homo sapiens have a false perception that we are superior species and rulers of this planet. Over exploitation by humans has destroyed the unique web of life on this planet. India has a long heritage of conserving our environment. Our Vedic literature has references to environmental conservation, ecological balance and the weather cycle. Our ancestors have provided us with valuable knowledge to lead a sustainable life without harming our planet. This goes well with the theme of this year's World Environment Day, “Only One Earth", focusing on “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature”.
Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General, IMD, affectionately known as ‘cyclone man of India’ was the chief guest for the programme. Dr. Mohapatra delivered the keynote lecture on “Impact of Environmental Imbalance on Weather”. In his address, he highlighted the changing weather patterns in the country. He mentioned that globally, temperatures have risen by about 1.2 degrees Celsius compared to a 100 years ago. Over India, the rise has been about 0.6 degrees Celsius. This temperature rise has been in northern, central, and eastern parts, and less over peninsular India. This temperature rise has an impact on extreme weather events.
The change in the weather patterns will have serious repercussions. It will cause a shift in the vegetation patterns. Already the mangrove forest in the Sunderban region is diminishing. It will also lead to change in the cultivation pattern of our significant crops like coffee, banana etc. The changing weather patterns will also lead to the prevalence of infectious diseases like dengue.
Commemorating the Environment Day, special issues were brought out by Science Reporter and Vigyan Pragati, the popular science magazine published by CSIR-NIScPR. On this occasion, Dr.Mrutyunjay Mohapatra released these special issues.
In his concluding remarks, Dr. Manish Gore, scientist, CSIR-NIScPR, reiterated the need to preserve our planet as it is the only habitable region in the galaxy. He thanked the dignitaries and participants. The meeting was attended by staff members of CSIR-NIScPR , students and research scholars from different colleges.
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